Tone woods?

Every hobby and passionate activity has its major controversial topic where both sides have firm believers of their respective opinions. With guitar, the main argument is do the materials of the guitar impact the tone the instrument has? And if so, to what extent? Is it enough to justify the prices of exotic woods or to justify their limited use for an instrument? These debates are riddled in forums, YouTube comments, and vlogs; however, is there a real answer? Well I would like to put up a sort of middle ground with one uncomfortable question… Does it matter?

Let me be clear that I am not trying to discredit either side but at the end of the day: production is just production. Where the most expensive materials are going to need to be covered by an expensive product. Whether or not it changes performance, the price of a scarce material is justified by its demand. For example, Brazilian Rosewood is a very rare material for instruments because of the regulation of using endangered woods and selling them internationally. This particular wood earned its reputation when it was used in the first decade of Gibson Les Pauls as a fingerboard material. The guitars Gibson made in the 50s and 60s are some of the most sought out instruments ever made, with some models costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. One reason these guitars cost so much is the fact that high end materials were used and after 60 years of the guitar aging, the guitar sounds and feels like a dream. People lose their minds when modern-era Gibson releases limited runs of the Les Paul with the Brazilian Rosewood. This is ultimately due to reputation and the placebo of tone woods. I am not saying Brazilian Rosewood has no effect on tone per-say, I am merely asking does one sub species of Rosewood really justify a drastic price mark-up? As a prospective guitar builder, I respect the materials that were once used in instruments because of the craft that goes into custom guitar building, so I am not going to be the guy that builds plastic guitars and says they sound the same because of the pickups and the wiring harness. I am the guy that will respect the material that go into the art of the craft and will make sure that guitar was built for generations of musicians: as a new instrument, as a hand-me-down, as a gift, as a used guitar for sale, and as an heirloom.

Some people read these articles and hope for empirical data to support one side for some closure, others just justify their conclusion in their heads and do not seek an answer. I am going to appreciate a well made instrument, regardless of materials, because what is not great for me does not equate to it is not great for anybody. We all need to let each instrument speak for itself by plugging it in and playing our favorite licks, or just giving a guitar an unfiltered strum to hear it resonate without any pedals or an amplifier. With that mind…what do you think? Let me know in the comments below, I assure you that your side will be taken into account because I try to just stand in a place that allows me to appreciate any instrument that has an amazing sound. You tell me what give is that amazing sound!

-ZAC